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City kicks off restoration of Savannah Pharmacy

Courtesy of the city of SavannahSome old medicine bottles that were discovered at the pharmacy.

Courtesy of the city of SavannahAlderman Edna Jackson, City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney, pharmacist Weldon Williams and City Economic Development Director MarRonde Lumpkin-Lotson at the Savannah Pharmacy Oct. 26.

City of Savannah leaders on Oct. 26 began the process of renovating one of Savannah’s oldest African-American businesses into one of the city’s newest catalysts for economic development. The old Savannah Pharmacy building at 916 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., vacant for the past four years, was purchased by the city as part of the city’s larger efforts to redevelop the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. corridor. Once completed, the restored building will house the city’s Department of Economic Development, as well as offer space on a rotating basis to the Savannah Entrepreneurial Center, the Small Business Assistance Corporation, Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, and others.

The city has been meticulously compiling the history of the building, and archiving its contents, including decades of equipment and materials related to the business, which first opened more than a century ago. The restoration will meet the historic preservation requirements of the state and national historic register.

“There is a great deal of history about this place, and preserving this history is part of the effort to revitalize this corridor,” said City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney. “I hope this building is a symbol of our commitment to bring resources where people need them most.”

“This is a way of regaining a sense of what was lost in this area,” said Richard Shinhoster, an MLK Blvd. business owner. “And what was lost was a sense of community.”